Jersey, United States – The world is surprised that a Nigerian is at the center of an international terrorist attack, but the Citizens for Nigeria is not. We warned in August 2009 that the Nigerian government must move swiftly to fight religious terrorism in the northern part of the country, in the aftermath of the Boko Haram attack. Any effort by the Nigerian Federal Government after the failed bombing by Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab is too little and too late.
The little value placed on the life of Christians, minorities and ordinary citizens of northern Nigeria, who had for 30 years been subjected to unimaginable attacks by intolerant religious fanatics, by the government and political elite in the north must now be paid for.
While the young Mutallab might not have been a direct product of the unending wave of fanaticism in northern Nigeria, the religious climate in which he grew must have aided his current profile as an international terrorist. The entire northern Nigeria, before Farouk Mutallab was born until today, is fertile ground for the breeding of religious terrorists.
No fewer than 6,000 innocent citizens were killed when the Maitatsne first struck in Kano in 1980. Six months ago, about 200 lives were lost from the Boko Haram terrorism. In between, over the course of three decades, religious terrorism had become part of life in the north. Farouk Mutallab is a chronologic but sad reflection of the history of Islamic fanaticism in Nigeria. He falls right within the historical block.
For far too long, the Federal Government and the northern political elite have failed to address a serious problem of extremism in that part of the country, leaving citizens at the mercy of terrorists, who had begun to gain international affiliation with dangerous groups like Al-Queda. When Osama Bin Ladin mentioned Nigeria in one of his disgusting threats, the nation should have been worried. There is no evidence that the government took any action when it heard that Bin Laden had connections to Nigerian muslims.
The characteristic failure of action has now led to the hugely embarrassing and possibly costly linkage of the so-called ‘Nigeria brand’ to international terrorism. Instead of taking action to address important problems, the government had chosen to embark on expensive and wasteful advertising programs such as ‘Rebranding Nigeria.’
If action had been taken when Mr. Umaru Mutallab, who is now believed to be the father of the Detroit terrorist, reported his son to the security agencies, the Nigerian brand name would have remained only as bad as it was, not worse. Farouk Mutallab should have been detected and stopped from leaving Nigeria, in the first instance.
The Citizens for Nigeria admits that the young Mutallab’s case is high profile and that he seems to have been indoctrinated from England. However, his fire was likely fuelled from home, and he could have been stopped.
We salute the courage of Mr. Umaru Mutallab, former chairman of the First Bank, for reporting suspected activities of his son to the Nigerian and US authorities. In spite of what anyone may say, it takes extra-ordinary courage to report your own son for possible crime. In fact, his proactive effort has reduced significantly the burden of the attack on Nigerians, who are likely to suffer from the incident. Already, Nigerians in the United States and the United Kingdom are expressing worries over how they will be perceived and treated by their host countries in light of the execution of terrorism by a Nigerian on foreign soil.
Once again, the Nigerian government has failed. The only difference is that this time, the price is potentially high.
When Nigerians travel or live outside of their country, they will start paying the price for ineptitude and conspiracy by their government. Even when they don’t travel, they pay the price when Islamic extremists are allowed to operate. Someday, when the fanatics are resisted, the whole nation may explode and the prophecy of a failed state will be fulfilled.
In the report, Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World, by the United States’ National Intelligence Council, it is clearly stated: “Because of the encroaching desertification in the north, the religious clash between Muslims and Christians is heating up. Another Biafra-like civil war - only this time along North-South lines - is not inconceivable.”
Chris Tunde Odediran (New Jersey) & Henry Ayo Abimbola (Texas)
Managing Executive Executive Director
Roselle, New Jersey San Antonio, Texas
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